Frequently asked questions

Xania self-publishing platform seeks to reinvent the content value chain, to leverage technology that will make it easier for content creators and consumers to have more control of the value chain, through reduced time and route-to-market, distribution, sales, marketing, purchase and post-purchase efficiency. The product targets content authors and content consumers, specifically written content such as books and spoken content from across Kenya and Africa at large.

Self-publishing is the process where an author executes the entire publication process alone or using only their own resources, without the assistance of a traditional publisher or publishing house. Printing, editing, proofreading, formatting, cover design, and book promotion are all part of the self-publishing process. Usually, this process can be hosted by a third party internet platform, which provides a digital platform for individual content creators to execute all these activities.

1. What is ISBN number? An ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, is a 13-digit code given to each edition of a book, to help publishers, booksellers, and libraries in keeping track of their inventory and sales. Readers can use them to search for certain editions online in the interim. An example is 453-7-23-457412-1

2. Why is ISBN number important The ISBN enables customers to locate and order the precise book they desire. If you want to sell to libraries, bookstores, online retailers, distributors, and wholesalers, you must apply for an ISBN because they all rely on it to keep track of purchases and sales. Even after buying an ISBN number, you may be required to apply for a new one if in the following situations;
• If your book's title is changing.
• If you are making significant textual changes that would constitute a new edition.
• If the book you are publishing is a translation of another book written in another language.
• If your publisher is changing.

3. Must I publish with an ISBN number No. If you don’t have an ISBN number yet, you can publish your book, and it shall be searched using its title and the name of the author instead of ISBN.

4. Can an ISBN be re-used? No. not at all. It is a unique number specific for each version of the book.

5. Who owns the ISBN The publisher. In this case, you are the publisher as this is self-publishing, so you will be the owner of the ISBN.

An ISSN is an 8-digit code used to identify newspapers, journals, magazines, and other periodicals of all kinds published in print and online. When separating serials with the same title, the ISSN is extremely useful. An example is 2354-2452

Authors shall be able to withdraw money from Xania in two ways;
1. Upon hitting certain thresholds set by themselves but not exceeding KSh 30,000 in one withdrawal that is less than 24 hours apart. To exceed this threshold, the authors will have to contact customer support.
2. Every time a purchase is made.

Xania pays authors royalty which is a percentage of the sales made on the books.

Hardcopy, paperback copies, ebooks and audiobooks among others.

No, but publishing exclusively on Xania entitles you to a higher royalty.Write the book

i. Create an account on Xania as an author.
ii. Write your book manuscript and convert it into a PDF version.
iii. Develop a cover design and upload as JPG or PNG.
iv. Upload the PDF version of the manuscript and the cover design on your account.
v. Fill in product details such as price and print details.
vi. Publish the book.
vii. Market and sell the book via Xania.
viii. Withdraw your finances for life.

Interest-based advertisements are also referred to as personalized or targeted ads. Through interest-based advertising, we present features, products, and services that may be of interest to you.

1. Data that aids in interest-based advertisements?
To show you interest-based advertising, we use information such as your interactions with Xania , its website, content, or services. We do not utilize personally identifying information, such as name or email, to offer interest-based advertisements. We only retain the information we gather for as long as is required, in line with our Privacy Notice and any applicable regulations, in order to deliver you with interest-based advertising.

2. Are there other parties involved?
To increase the relevancy of the ads we serve, we collaborate with third parties including advertisers, publishers, social media networks, search engines, ad serving providers, and advertising companies acting on their behalf. We do not link your interactions on unrelated websites to any personally identifiable information when we serve you interest-based ads, and we do not give any individually identifying information to advertisers or third-party websites that show our interest-based advertisements.

3. Advertising Preferences
You have options with regards to receiving interest-based advertisements from Xania. You have the option to turn off interest-based advertising from Xania. Although they won't be tailored to your interests, you will still encounter advertisements.

1. What is a hardcopy?
Hardcopy or hardcover books are printed books with a robust, rigid, protective layer that occasionally uses stitches and staples to keep the pages together.. There is no dust jacket included with a paperback. Paperbacks are often seen as a lower-priced edition of a hardcover book, thus are more affordable and preferred by many authors and readers.

A hardcover book's cover can be made in a variety of ways, including bonded leather, a shirt, fabric, printed or laminated, a dust jacket, and more. Additionally, for hardcover books there are additional printing features which aim at customization and developing a captivating appearance, including, custom end-leaves, gilded corners, speckled, and edge staining are all included.

Hardcopy Demo 1 Hardcopy Demo 2


2. How to publish my hardcover books with Xania?
Signup/ Login as an author. Go to publish book, enter book details and upload your manuscript (in PDF format) and cover image in (JPG or PDF format), select whether to publish as a hardcopy, from the options given, then click publish. The uploaded manuscript will be converted into a printable hardcover book version.

3. How can my customers access my published hardcover books?
Customers can access your published hardcover books upon searching the title of the book or the ISBN number and then it will come up in the search results, whereby upon ordering the printed book will be sent to their address.

1. What is a paperback?
Paperback or softcover books are printed books with a bendable cardboard cover and glue-bound binding. There is no dust jacket included with a paperback. Paperbacks are often seen as a lower-priced edition of a hardcover book, thus are more affordable and preferred by many authors and readers. The paperback can be produced on either white or cream paper and in either standard color, premium color, or black and white.

Hardcopy Demo 1

2. How to publish my paperback books with Xania?
Signup/ Login as an author. Go to publish book, enter book details and upload your manuscript (in PDF format) and cover image in (JPG or PDF format), select whether to publish as a paperback, from the options given, then click publish. The uploaded manuscript will be converted into a printable paperback book version.

3. How can my customers access my published paperback books?
Customers can access your published paperback upon searching the title of the book or the ISBN number and then it will come up in the search results, whereby upon ordering the printed book will be sent to their address.

1. What is an ebook?
Simply put, an ebook, which stands for "electronic book," is a book that has been transformed into a digital format and optimized for reading on computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Hardcopy Demo 1

2. How to publish my ebook with Xania?
Signup/ Login as an author. Go to publish book, enter book details and upload your manuscript (in PDF format) and cover image in (JPG or PDF format), select whether to publish as an ebook, from the options given, then click publish. The uploaded manuscript will be converted into a digital book

3. How can my customers access my published ebooks?br Customers can access your published ebook upon searching the title of the book or the ISBN number and then it will come up in the search results, whereby upon ordering they can see the book on the readers app on Xania.

i. Poetry
ii. Romance
iii. Action and adventure
iv. Science Fiction
v. Detective, Crime and Mystery
vi. Philosophy and life
vii. Historical
viii. Literary fiction
ix. Short stories and essays
x. Biographies and Autobiographies and Memoirs
xi. Cookbooks
xii. True Crime

You must be the rightful owner of the publication rights to any content you offer for sale on Xania, as per the Xania’s terms and conditions. If you upload any content without the required authorization, your book might be rejected or withdrawn, your account status might be downgraded, and/or you might lose your eligibility to receive royalties.

While this page contains crucial information on intellectual property and copyright, it is not intended to be legal advice. You should consult an attorney if you have any specific questions about your intellectual property rights or the rights of others.

Just providing a copyright page as a part of the book's content is not sufficient to show that you have the necessary publishing rights. We may ask for more proof of ownership.

How do copyrights operate?
A copyright protects creative works of authorship such as music, writing, plays, movies, video games, artwork, and other forms of media. Generally speaking, copyright laws are created to promote the creation of original works of authorship for the benefit of the public. If someone is the author of an original work, they usually hold the copyright to it.

How do trademarks operate
A company may use a word, symbol, or design (such as a stylized version of its brand name or logo) as a trademark to identify and distinguish its products and services from those of other businesses. A trademark, then, serves to identify the source of goods or services. In general, the purpose of trademark laws is to avoid consumer confusion regarding the origin of products or services.

Must my book(s) contain a copyright page?
You are not required to include a copyright page by Xania. However, you must include a copyright page in your content file if you want your book to have one.

What rules apply to copyrights?
Works of authorship are all protected by a copyright. In general, copyright laws were developed to encourage the production of original works of authorship for the public's benefit. Usually, the copyright to an original work belongs to the person who created it.

Publishing Public Domain Content
A book that is in the public domain is one that is not, for a variety of factors, protected by copyright or intellectual property rights. Once a book is deemed to be in the public domain, it can be reprinted and distributed without the author's permission.

Public domain content may be sold using Xania, but you might need to provide proof that the content you submitted is in the public domain. Public domain content that is currently advertised through our program or on other retail websites may be rejected at any time. If a free version of a public domain title is currently offered in our shop, we will not issue a distinct edition of that title. Such submissions could include:

i.Translations made from scratch.
ii.Annotations: original annotations which includes additional content like literary critiques.
iii.Illustrations: Which includes 10 or more unique illustrations that are pertinent to the book's content.


Authors are provided with two options to select when publishing, which are:

1. I have the required publishing permissions and the copyright: If your book is protected by copyright and you have the legal authority to publish the content, select this option.
2. This work is in the public domain: If you're releasing a book that is in the public domain, select this option. Remember that different nations or areas have different copyright duration.

Publishing rights can be accessed from My books page, select a specific book, select book details.

If you have questions or need further information, Click here to contact us<./a>

a. Formulas used to calculate royalties
i. Virtual book royalty = (Royalty rate x list price) - VAT, printing and distribution cost.
ii. Print book royalty = (Royalty rate x list price) - VAT, printing and distribution cost.
iii. Printing cost = Fixed cost + (page count * per page cost)
iv. Print book Fixed cost = Cover printing + laminating + binding & finishing

b. What royalties does Xania pay?
i. EBook
1. Pay 70% royalties for each ebook unit published and sold exclusively on Xania.
2. Pay 55% royalties for each ebook unit published and sold on Xania and others.
Average ebook price being KSh. 450.

ii. AudioBook
1. Pay 70% royalties for each audiobook unit published and sold exclusively on Xania.
2. Pay 55% royalties for each audiobooks unit published and sold on Xania and others.
Average ebook price being KSh. 450.

iii. Paperback Book
1. Pay 70% royalties for each paperback book unit published and sold Ksh 1000 and below.
2. Pay 60% royalties of list price without VAT, printing and distribution costs for each paperback book unit published and sold Ksh 1000 and above.
Average ebook price being KSh. 1000

iv. Hardcopy Book
1. Pay 70% royalties of list price without VAT, printing and distribution costs for each hardcopy book unit published and sold Ksh 1000 and below.
2. Pay 50% royalties for each hardcopy book unit published and sold Ksh 1000 and above.
Average ebook price being KSh. 2500

Goelway reserves the right to amend these royalty rates, and will make prior communication to stakeholders in advance in case of changes that need implementation.

Payments to Xania by customers will be made before orders are processed, whether it be ebooks, audiobooks, paperback or hardcopy books. Payments for purchases and related services shall be made directly to and from the company’s approved MPESA paybill and/or bank account(s) as well as PayPal where applicable.
Authors shall be able to withdraw money from Xania upon hitting certain thresholds set by themselves but not less tan KSh. 3,500 or exceeding KSh 30,000 in one withdrawal that is less than 24 hours apart. To exceed this threshold, the authors will have to contact customer support.

GOEL does not sell certain content including content that we determine is hate speech, promotes the abuse or sexual exploitation of children, contains pornography, glorifies rape or pedophilia, advocates terrorism, or other material we deem inappropriate or offensive. Publishers can't publish content that contain adult content, such as nudity and depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions, or activities that are overly suggestive or sexually provocative.

Humor, imagery, text, video, or audio that is not appropriate for non-adults and includes: Illegal, non-consensual, denigrating, obscene, or violent activity, including bestiality, brutality, torture, death, illegal drug use, cruelty, prostitution, pedophilia, rape, incest, sex, child pornography, stripper/strip clubs, escorts, or content that relates to persons who are, or are suggested to be, under the legal age permitted in applicable jurisdictions are strictly prohibited.

a. What is adult content?
Under this policy, adult content includes:
i. Depiction of nudity otherwise permitted by the Community Standards or implied nudity, such as removing clothes.
ii. Depiction of excessive visible skin, even if not explicitly sexual in nature.
iii. Images focused on individual body parts, even if not explicitly sexual in nature.
iv. Promotion of dating services where the focus of the ad is on a partly clothed model.

Adult content does not include:
i. Photographs of paintings, sculptures and other art that depicts nude figures, as long as there's no explicit focus on nude private body parts or sexual acts.
ii. Focus on private body parts in the context of breastfeeding or breast health, as long as there's no explicit nudity.
iii. Depiction of nipples in the context of breast health, as long as the ad creatives are illustrations or medical diagrams and target people aged 18 or older.

Our adult content policy is subject to change from time to time, as we shall update our users.